Nightmares and Dreamscapes
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: After escaping Yellow Diamond, Steven's mind reaches out to another gem on Homeworld. A Diamond.


**Nightmares and Dreamscapes**

 **Author's Note:** This fic has no connection to my Scary!White series. It just came from a scary dream I had and probably coupled with my horror game playing lately. It'll still have Scary!White in it, but just a different idea.

" _There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear."_

― Richelle E. Goodrich, Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle

" _Your nightmares follow you like a shadow, forever. "_

― Aleksandar Hemon, The Lazarus Project

 **By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

 _Run._

The last thing Steven had seen was Yellow Diamond staring down at them as they fell from the court. She had said something too, but he barely heard what it was. The palanquin they had climbed into plunged deeper and deeper into darkness and the sight of Homeworld's magnificent structures began to fade, slowly replaced with rough stone.

All of this before his world went black.

A ringing.

When Steven finally awoke again, he was no longer sitting in the palanquin and no longer with Lars. He was now wandering a cold, dark corridor.

"What? Where am I?" he murmured, to himself. "What is this place?"

He looked around, confused by the sight of it; it almost resembled the Human Zoo that he'd visited to rescue his dad, but it looked old, as if it had been abandoned for thousands of years. Stains covered the walls and spiderweb cracks from the metal had begun to form. Paint chipped away and nothing else could be heard around him.

There were no gems around either; not a single amethyst, carnelian or jasper to be found. None of their loud, playful banter. No Holly Blue Agate and her commanding voice. Nothing. No one was here.

Steven continued to wander before he walked into a room. "Hello?" he called.

It looked like an office of some kind; it was small, but had a table pushed almost violently in the corner, as if someone had left in a hurry. The walls were chipped and stained here as well and a few broken statues were laying broken on the floor.

"I remember this place," Steven wondered, aloud, "But...why am I dreaming about it?"

Behind him, a long message had been scribbled in Gem on the wall. He turned, looked at it for a few times before grimacing, tilting his head.

"Aww man. I wish I could read in Gem."

Then, no sooner had he said that, the message began to rearrange itself; each Gem letter bent and twisted to form English. Steven watched in amazement. He approached the wall a little closer and began to read the message in his head:

IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT.

I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DID IT.

I DON'T HATE YOU FOR YOUR CHOICE.

YOU SAVED EVERYONE.

Steven blinked, feeling a sudden painful clench in his chest. He was immediately reminded of his mother from the message. But who could have written it? It was just a dream.

Right?

There was a window nearby that gave Steven a view of outer space. He stared out at it, noticing several stars shooting in the distance. Interestingly enough, the streaks of stars carried a kaleidoscope of colors, making the scene look kind of pretty.

"Whoa." Steven murmured.

Then, there was a sound that froze him where he stood; a soft, almost contented chuckle from a voice he didn't recognize. It was feminine and it sounded comforting, but carried an air of maliciousness to it. He tensed, frightened and looked around.

"Hello?" Steven called.

No answer.

He started forward and walked out of the room, passing an intact symbol of the Diamond Authority. When he did, a crack split down the middle of it, through the white and pink diamond shapes. Entering the corridors once more, he continued forward, looking around.

Everything felt entirely too quiet; all but the occasional groaning of aged metal. Cupping his mouth, he called out again.

"Hello!" Steven yelled.

It echoed richly around him, repeating in several decibels and pitches. Somehow, it just didn't feel natural to him - the echo of his voice. A soft giggle of his voice followed behind the first echos as well, like an unsettling mimicry.

Steven shivered a little at the sound. He spotted a set of double doors and paused in front of them; they'd been partially cracked open and he could smell a stale air seeping through them. The doors were what led to the Human Zoo.

On the doors, someone had written: NEVER FORGIVE. NEVER FORGET. The message was cryptic and chilling.

 _"Steven..."_

Steven froze at the sound of the whisper from the other side of the doors.

 _"Come find me, Steven..."_

He didn't know the voice. He didn't recognize it from anywhere. It was light and welcoming, but something behind it carried an air of ill-intent that kept him where he was.

Steven grimaced, produced his shield on his arm and walked closer to the doors. He didn't want to follow the voice, and knew that it had to be dangerous, but his dream compelled him to. He had to know why he was seeing this, no matter how bad it was. After all, he'd connected with Malachite before. Maybe he was connecting to another gem.

"Alright, I'm going in." Steven said, to himself. "Whatever's through that door, I'm ready."

Was he really?

Steven shook his head with a murmur, rebuking the inner turmoil that made him hesitate. Yeah, he was frightened a bit and didn't know what to expect, but there had to be answers and why he was reaching out this way in his dreams again.

And on Homeworld no less.

He reached one careful hand between the doors and heaved them open just enough for him to squeeze through. He grunted with effort before finding himself in the familiar Zoo once again.

O

Something was wrong.

The Zoo was empty; the trees were barren and dry, without leaves or branches. The water had all but dried up as well. The chamber where the humans had been kept was also dark without the false sun overhead. Steven noticed something lying on the ground, shining against the light of his shield.

That same soft, contented chuckle filled the air again, freezing him in place.

 _"Steven..."_

The voice echoed in the distance and after a few moments of hesitation, he approached the shiny thing; it looked like a broken glass shard. Bending down, he picked it up and studied it in his hand for a moment. It was white, but slightly stained with a black tar-like substance.

"Ew!" Steven cried out, shuddering and dropping it to the ground.

It seemed to slip through the softer earth at his feet and he watched, struck by how it seemed to vanish in the ground.

 _"Steven."_

The boy looked up at the voice again and followed it through the dead trees. Then, as he was walking, another voice filled the air. The same deep, rich feminine tone as the first, though it was more welcoming. Less unsettling. It still scolded, but with the gentle warmth of a mother.

 _"Don't follow her, Steven."_

The voices alternated back and forth and Steven was more determined than ever to find answers. He continued on, despite the warning from the second voice and the beckoning, chilling whisper from the first voice.

 _"Steven? I have something for you. We'll have lots of fun."_

 _"Don't come here, Steven. Go back. Don't follow her."_

Steven scowled and followed the voice toward a broken doorway that seemed to lead down somewhere into pitch. He clutched his shield close and murmured with unease. He wanted to find answers, but something about this dream felt wrong. Very wrong.

 _"Down here, Steven."_

 _"Steven, don't come down."_

The voices continued, all the while he made his way down the small flight of steps into the darkness. He had no idea where this was going to lead or what his dream was doing. But he had to find answers. Maybe his mind connected with a gem who needed help.

But there was a part of him who suspected danger was near. Training with the Crystal Gems often enough recently helped him tune into his instincts better than he had before.

Whatever was going to happen, he needed to find answers.

 _"Don't come down here!"_ the second voice suddenly whispered, as if fearful.

 _"Good, Steven. I'm almost there."_ the first voice crooned.

Steven swallowed thickly, looking around. He continued forward until he found another door, ensnared in vines and red roses. As soon as he came close enough, the roses wilted and the vines crumbled away, allowing him to pass through the door.

 _"...You need to go back upstairs, Steven..."_ the second voice said and it really sounded frightened. _"She'll find you. Please."_

Steven scowled, looking around the dark room he was in. It was filled with rows upon rows of old books. If anything, it reminded him of the library back on Earth. How he had been there with Connie many times. How odd. Gems didn't have libraries.

Did they?

If so, why was it hidden below the Human Zoo?

Steven noticed a book at his feet and he picked it up, studying the title. It was written in English, titled: "ABC's of the Human Language." He set it down and picked up another book. This one read: "History of the United States."

Now this was really strange.

He looked around the room at the piles of books. Did a gem bring these for the humans in the Zoo? Even if it was a dream, he was still seeing it for a reason.

"Strange," Steven mused, out loud, "Why are there books here?"

Just then, he felt a pain in his head, accompanied by a horrible pulse. Steven held his head with a groan and failed to see a shadow rise up from the rows. When he turned, he gave a shriek at the sight of white, glowing eyes watching him from the humanoid shape.

 _"Run. RUN!"_ the second voice shouted.

Steven didn't need to be told twice. He turned and sprinted back the way he'd come; the white-eyed shadow pursued him, screeching with rage. He rushed as fast as he could, right back up the steps before slapping the door behind him.

Steven backed away, eyes wide and frightened as the door lurched and buckled from the force of whatever was behind it. He quickly hurried out of the Zoo and back into the corridor, panting and struggling to catch his breath.

He heard the sound of sinister laughter and quickly ran down the corridors.

O

Steven hid inside Pink Diamond's chamber behind the enormous pillow. He didn't see any of the Rose Quartz bubbles or even the shadow that had chased him. The chamber looked decayed, much like the rest of the Human Zoo.

"What was that?" Steven wondered, thinking about the shadow.

He had no idea what had been chasing him or what his purpose in this dream was. If he was meant to help a gem, then why did they act as if he was an intruder here? Why did it seem as if he wasn't supposed to be there?

 _"Steven..."_

The second voice was back.

Steven gave a small yelp and looked around for the source of the voice. He saw nothing frightening or the shadow that had chased him through the Zoo, but he could hear a stream of soft voices that all sounded like they belonged to the same being.

 _"Something's wrong with her."_

 _"You can't help her, Steven."_

 _"Wake up, Steven. Go find your friend and leave Homeworld. Before she finds you again."_

 _"You're in her head. You don't want to be here."_

Something flickered with light, drawing Steven's attention toward the corner of the room. At first, he was afraid that it was the shadow, but it seemed to glitch out the same as the Cluster Gem had; the one he'd faced off against with Garnet.

Steven backed away, his shield held close to his face. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Go away!"

Another series of flickers - a bright kaleidoscope of colors - before it took the shape of what he could only guess was Pink Diamond. Her smile was sad, her features heavy with exhaustion. It was like Blue Diamond's constant expressions. She was wearing a pink body suit with exposed shoulders and robes made up of fine pink chiffon.

On her abdomen was the angular cut of a pink diamond-shaped gem.

"P-Pink...Diamond?" Steven asked, carefully.

 _"Go."_ she whispered, her lips not moving. Her voice seemed to come from far away.

Then, her eyes widened and she looked sharply toward the door. Steven followed her gaze and watched as a hand pried its way through the door; long and white, black-nailed. Pink Diamond watched the door, frightened.

"Who is that?" Steven demanded, looking at her for answers.

 _"Go. Hurry!"_ Pink said once again. _"Hurry! She'll catch you!"_

"But - " Steven argued.

The door snapped almost completely off of its hinges and Steven quickly fled down another corridor. Behind him, he looked and saw that Pink Diamond had vanished in a puff of black ash and the shadow surged through it, white eyes glowing.

Steven yelped and ran faster. He passed murals painted on the wall; they were inverted, many of them portraying terrible, frightening images of war and death. The sounds of the snarling thing behind him spurred him on.

He spotted an open door and quickly dove through it. Immediately, the shadow behind him vanished in a swirl of black ash. Steven gave a soft groan of relief. Whatever that thing was, it didn't seem interested in following him here.

He turned, looking around the place he had found himself in. Suddenly, it felt cold and he noticed why; it was snowing in the room, covering every inch of tables, desks and statues. Looking up, he noticed that the ceiling seemed like an endless void.

"Snow?" Steven wondered.

The further he wandered, the more he noticed odd statues of a diamond he didn't recognize; a diamond-shaped gem positioned at her forehead. Short, spiked hair. He paused in front of a statue kneeling in the snow, staring upwards.

This diamond did look different from the others; of the statue, the cheeks were thin, and pale with little gray lines that formed down the length of her face, like tears. Her face was long and angular, and it reminded Steven of the statues in Egypt. Something about the carved wrinkles beneath her eyes made him believe she was old, but gems didn't age like humans did. So this was odd.

The statue had elaborate, sharp attire, body armor and a diamond-insignia printed on her midsection. Her cloak had various designs carved into it. He remembered seeing a mural depiction of this diamond on the moon. She had been white.

White Diamond.

O

It was still cold. Steven didn't know how far he was going.

His gem lit up only a little bit in front of him, guiding his path. "Okay, so if I'm connected to White Diamond somehow..." he murmured, quietly. "What does she want from me?"

A statue.

Steven paused and saw - much to his discomfort - various statues of White Diamond posed in the snow; some in positions of sorrow, others in rage, and a few in exhaustion. Steven stared at a few in passing, surprised and concerned. So many poses, seemingly frozen in time. Were these her memories somehow?

Faint whispers, perhaps distant memories.

A soft, broken sob.

 _"Something's wrong."_

Then, Steven saw the messages carved into a broken wall; they had rearranged their Gem Language to spell out the message in English for him to read. He still wasn't too sure why it happened that way, but he wouldn't waste time thinking about it.

IT WAS WRONG.

IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.

 _"I know why you did it. Who could blame you, really?"_ the first voice was back again and Steven looked around warily. " _You chased the love of humans. They made you feel wanted and gave you individuality. But that isn't what you are."_

Steven backed up against the broken wall, staring at the darkness around him. He saw something dart at the corner of his eye; a shadow that dripped with black ooze. It was huge, towering over him. Steven produced his bubble for protection.

He was about to back away, but suddenly, the thing in the darkness began to hum a song. At first, it only seemed really strange, but not at all unheard of. After all, Steven had seen Yellow Diamond sing to Blue Diamond before. Maybe all of the diamonds liked singing.

But then, he began to recognize the tone of the humming. His eyes slowly widened in horror and he stopped breathing for a few moments.

It was one of his dad's songs.

White Diamond was humming a human song - one of HIS DAD'S - songs.

"What Can I Do (For You)".

She was humming a song that only his dad had written and sung with his mother. How did she even KNOW one of his songs? Steven felt a sinking chill in his belly, unable to move from his spot as the thing slowly paced around his bubbled form.

A contented, yet cruel chuckle filled the air after the humming stopped. _"Our sins will always find us in our dreams."_

Clawed nails scraped into the light and Steven yelped, quickly avoiding them by jumping to the side. He ran, his bubble rolling through the snow. He dared to look back at the shadow chasing him before the darkness suddenly filled with bright light. Blinding.

Steven grunted, shielding his eyes with one hand.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave out and he was sent rolling down a steep hill; it slowly transfigured into a white hallway and he was rolling down it. The shadowy thing didn't follow, but simply laughed quietly as it watched.

O

Steven found himself in the hallway, level again with solid floor. He wasn't in the Human Zoo anymore, but instead in a place he'd never seen. He popped the bubble around him and carefully started forward.

"I gotta wake up!" he groaned, to himself. "This is too dangerous!"

White Diamond was aware that he was in her head - or so he thought. If she was, did she also know where he was? With Lars? Steven's eyes widened in horror. If he was still asleep and dreaming, then Lars was defenseless and he was probably going to be hurt.

"Okay, I have to wake up!" Steven murmured, smacking his face a few times. "Wake up, Steven! Wake up!"

He didn't wake up. Instead, he remained in the eerie dream. Alone.

"Come on!" he protested.

Then, he heard singing.

It sounded like the two voices from before, but almost peaceful. It was a song he wasn't familiar with, but it seemed to be a relaxing and soothing one. It drew him toward the noise as he walked. The floor beneath him was splintering, cracking and doors around him were wrapped in vines.

As he followed the song, he thought about Pink Diamond and how she'd warned him about White. She was surely a part of the dream, but something about her presence and her being aware of him made him think that...

No, that wasn't possible! The others had said she had been shattered. Homeworld believed she'd been shattered. There was no way that -

 _"Steven..."_

Steven followed the singing to an enormous chamber where he saw White and Pink Diamond sitting together, singing a song. Steven was surprised by the sight; they looked happy together as they sang, holding hands.

"Am I... Am I in her memories?" he wondered, quietly.

When the song was finished, the two images vanished in a swirl of black ash. The pristine room began to fill with black tar and Steven immediately rushed out. He panted desperately and ducked from an enormous long-nailed hand that shot out from a door.

"Ah!" Steven cried.

The shadow was gone, but in its place was White Diamond. She stretched herself from the room, hissing triumphantly. The on her forehead was spotted with a sick, black ooze. Her mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth, shining with black tar and her eyes contained multiple irises.

She looked partially corrupted; her body was thin, almost bony. It reminded Steven of a frightening skeleton. Her long claw-like nails dug grooves into the floor as she leaned forward, smiling brightly. It made her mouth stretch wide, like a jack-o-lantern.

When she looked to the left once, one side of her mouth had been made into a sharp-toothed grin that stretched almost up to her ears.

 _"I see you!"_ she hissed.

Steven backed away as she crawled toward him. There was something like delightful maliciousness in her eyes; she continued to stalk toward Steven.

 _"You can't run from me, little one."_ she purred.

"I..." Steven worked his thoughts frantically, trying to come up with something. "I'm... I'm not running anymore!"

 _"Oh?"_ White rumbled with a mixture of amusement. _"I suppose your little friend will no longer flee from me as well?"_

Steven struggled not to show fear this time. In the back of his mind, he could hear Pink Diamond whispering to him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on the voice.

 _"Be mindful, Steven. Even if you run, she won't let you leave."_

"It's just me." Steven said, looking up at the great diamond before him. "And yeah, I did reach into your mind. I didn't mean to do it."

White laughed now; the laugh was dry and grating, like leaves. _"Of course not, Steven. No one truly means these things, do they? But you are still here. Still scuttling about in my head like a little roach. I intent to judge you to the lowest place in Homeworld."_

"Wait, you called me Steven." Steven said, frowning. "Why?"

 _"Is that not the name you were given?"_

The horror on Steven's face was back. "How do you know all that?"

White grinned, lips pulling back from her teeth in a frightening display. _"I am a master of the mind, Steven Universe,"_ she growled out his name like it was something foul. _"But even then, I don't need that to have what I want."_

She crawled toward him and once more, he took a step back.

 _"Regardless of the filth Rose Quartz mingled with, you will find yourself in my hand,"_ White continued, with a smile, _"Let the others have their trials and petty vengeance if it pleases them. But I have other methods in mind."_

Steven backed up again. "What...other methods?"

White grinned again, as if delighted by such a question. _"You've earned my attention, Steven Universe. Long ago, the moment you were born."_ she continued, still advancing toward him. _"And here you are, putting false images of Pink Diamond in my head. As if that would comfort me. Truly evil, you things are."_

She reached with one hand and Steven backed away with a cry. White leaned closer to him, still grinning happily.

 _"Now then, come. Let me be your deliverance."_

Then, she looked up sharply at the sight of a pink cloud of smoke flood the chamber. Steven backed away, crying out in fright as it enveloped White Diamond. She recoiled, gave a furious screech and fought back against it.

 _"Run! Steven, wake up!"_

O

"Steven, wake up!"

Steven snapped out of his unconscious state to Lars shaking him awake. They had fallen into a dark, forgotten cavern and the palanquin was lying in ruin. Lars had tugged him from it and was trying to help him regain his senses.

"Steven!" Lars exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so." Steven mumbled, rubbing his head with one hand.

"Dude, those giant ladies were furious with you!" Lars cried, helping him stand. He looked around, suddenly frightened. "How are we supposed to get off this planet?"

"I think there was another one," Steven told him. His eyes widened. "Lars, we need to go. Now!"

Lars rolled his eyes. "No, let's stay and feed the birds."

There was a loud humming sound and the two looked up at the sight of small, robotic drones drifting nearby, looking for them. Steven recognized them as Robonoids, though they looked different from the ones that Peridot had once owned.

"They found us! Run!" Steven shouted.

They quickly fled into the caves with the Robonoids giving chase.

Somewhere over the cavern was a tall, black monolith building. Inside White Diamond rested in a gray cathedra. Several long, black wires were connected to her back, traveling high into the darkness of the ceiling. A few monitors were placed nearby, observing the activity and daily routine of Homeworld.

Slowly, a pair of eyes opened.

Diamond irises in a sea of white.

White Diamond smiled now and chuckled.

"Run." she purred. "You'll send a message."

She was watching the monitors before her, at the two running away from the Robonoids.

What a silly little thing that had walked through her head. Such presumption. But now that she was awake, she was planning to spend much time on the future of Homeworld.

As well as Earth.


End file.
